Redwing BlackbirdA Duelist of the Rose Story
by KirokoTheBlackKitsune
Summary: Can a Blackbird blown off course by the winds of time find a new path on a battlefield of red and white roses? Rated for future romance and gory death
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: One of my friends requested this story. But first, there are a few things I need to tell you. One, this story is mostly OC centric. Two, I have not actually played the game, so bear with me if there are some incorrect details/dialog. Three, I'm a history buff, so the actual events of the War of the Roses will play a major part in this story. All that said, pleas enjoy and review!**

**Disclaimer: I (obviously) do not own yu-gi-oh**

_She rushed toward the small inferno, her vision blurred by tears._

_"No, Daddy!" But the coffin just kept moving toward the incinerator. Her calls did nothing to stop it._

_"Wait Ari, come back!" That was Mom, standing back there crying, dressed all in black. Ari didn't really hear her. On short legs she ran up to the dark wood casket. She didn't want Daddy to go into the flames, he just **had** to open the lid and step out, and then everything would be alright._

_She reached the casket and began to tug at the latch, sobbing all the while. It shouldn't have opened, but the salary of a fireman and a preschool teacher could not afford something durable, not when it would be destroyed in the incinerator. And the fervor of a grief stricken eleven year old could break anything, be it the heart or a brass latch._

_The coffin opened, and she could see her father. Or, what was left of him. There wasn't much remaining. She screamed. Her mother rushed over and covered her eyes, all the while averting her own from the inside of the coffin. Then Ari heard the lid slam shut._

Ari woke with a start. Her white knuckled hands gripped the edge of the desk and she was drenched in sweat. She straitened in her chair with a sigh. _Those dreams again_.In the five years since the accident, those memory dreams had come less and less frequently. By the time she turned sixteen, they had all but stopped.

Ari groaned as she looked where she had been sleeping. Her desk was covered in scraps of paper and stacks of notes. She had been using her open history textbook as a pillow. _Ugh_, she thought, _history_. She hated the subject and was duly failing it. There was a big test tomorrow and if she didn't get at least a ninety, she would probably flunk out of the class.

Ari looked at her watch: 2:00 am. She had only been asleep for an hour. From experience with her dreams, she knew there would be no more sleep tonight. She took a moment to look through her Duel Monsters deck. The familiar sight of her monsters calmed her nerves. Ari got up and walked to the bathroom, starting up the shower to wash away the nightmare sweat.

She stood perfectly still and let the cold water put her thoughts in order. Her father, Rick Daniels, had been a fireman. A falling beam during a particularly large blaze had put an end to his life. He had put in his will that he wanted to be cremated, saying that, since he had spent his life battling fires, if was time for the fire to win. Ari had been only eleven when she had opened his casket and seen what no one should ever have to see.

To try and escape from memories and overly sympathetic relatives, Ari's mother had moved them out of the city and into a small apartment in a backwater town. Ari never really fit in there, a fact she tried to hide from her mother. In her original home, Duel Monsters was very popular. Here, some people had never even heard of it. This made Ari, the U.S. national champion, even more alienated. Before the accident some people had thought she was some sort of child genius. Now she could barely maintain a C average.

Ari stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. As she walked out of the bathroom, she paused to look at herself in the mirror. She was fine boned, like a bird, as her mother was so fond of saying. Black hair fell down her back, worn longer than was typically the style. Despite the dark hair her skin was very pale, made even more so by little time spent in the sun. Her eyes were silvery-grey, framed by long black eyelashes. Back in her room, Ari dressed for the day at school, and then went back to studying.

The bell ringing to begin classes found Ari barely awake. Her history class was in first period. On the way there her guidance councilor stopped her.

"Arianna, are you alright? You look kind of under the weather."

"No, I'm fine," Ari lied, knowing full well that there were circles under her eyes and a red mark where her hand had kept her head propped up.

"Well, good luck on your test," she said, and then the woman walked off with one last worried glace.

In the classroom, the teacher handed out the test and they began. Ari looked at her paper. **Question #1: What two families fought in the War of the Roses?** _Umm_...Ari thought, blinking hard to stay awake. _Oh, come on, I know that I know this. Well, I'll skip that one and come back to it. _She shook her head to clear it. The letters seemed to swirl on the page.

**Question #2: Who were the Rose Crusaders and what was their purpose in the war? **_What the hell! _She definitely didn't remember anything about Crusaders. _Weren't they on the last test_ she thought? _Well, skip that one too._

**Question #3: Richard III is rumored to have murdered... who? **That one she knew. It was the only thing that had really stuck in her brain, because it was so sad. She answered: **_His nephews, King Edward V, age 13 and the king's brother, also named Richard, age 9._**

The letters were swirling again. White fog started to billow at the corners of her vision. _Damnit,_ she thought,_ I can't stay awake._ Then the fog completely covered her and she knew no more.

Ari awoke flat on her back, spread eagle on a hard cold surface. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see tall standing stones, while directly over head dark clouds rolled. She propped herself up on her elbows and gaped at her surroundings.

At first she thought she was dreaming, but even her memory dreams were not this vivid. She could feel the stone beneath her. Feel the wind that blew up from the water and smell the salt that laced it. This was no dream. However, judging by the ring of standing stones around her, it was most definitely Stonehenge.

_What. The. Hell._ She thought. Suddenly off to one side she heard a voice cackle: "It seems that the legends of the Rose Duelist were right. I did it, I did it!"

A short man swathed in a yellow cloak waddled up to her. Ari stood and dusted herself off. Standing tall at 5 feet, 4 inches, the little man only came up to her shoulder.

"And what is the Rose Duelist's name, milady?" the short guy asked her. _Rose Duelist, _thought Ari_, what's he talking about?_ Then she remembered. When she had won the U.S. Duel Monsters Championship, she had been given a small gold rose along with her trophy. They said that it was her token for when she went on to the International Championship. That rose now hung on a chain around her neck.

"My name is Ari," she said. The little man looked slightly astonished. "It's short for Arianna," Ari amended. The man seemed to master his astonishment and muttered

"A fine name indeed. I am called Simon, and I am the High Druid who has summoned you here. Our situation is quite desperate, you see. The Yorkists and the Lancastrians"

"Don't you mean Yorks and Lancasters?"

"No, no, no. The Yorkists and the Lancastrians, they have been fighting a war for the throne of England. Now, the Yorkists have the aid of the Rose Crusaders, with their dreaded White Rose cards. It was our own Lancastrian Red Rose cards that brought you here. We need your help to defeat the Yorkists so that Prince Henry Tudor can claim his rightful throne." Ari sighed, and here she thought she was going to get away from her history test.

"Cut to the chase, what do I have to do to get back home?"

"By combining the power of the sixteen White and Red Rose cards, you will be able to return to your own time."

"Right, and how do I do that?" she asked. _Please be something easy._

"You must defeat those Rose Crusaders holding White Rose cards. Now come along, we must make haste. It is a long journey across the sea to where the Prince is living in France." Simon began shuffling off as he said this, leading Ari to a carriage waiting on a rough dirt path.

"France...oh, that's right! He's in Brest, isn't he?" Ari grinned, smiling as she remembered the row the boys of her class had sent up when their teacher told them that detail.

"Yes," said Simon. "Do your abilities as Rose Duelist include foresight?" Ari chuckled and shook her head, which Simon did not see as he was struggling into the carriage. She looked doubtfully at the horses standing placidly in front. If this is anything like the carriage rides around Central Park, this was going to be a long journey. But that journey was to be delayed.

"So it's true, the Rose Duelist does exist," a cold voice said from behind them. Ari whirled around, nearly losing her balance. Simon lost his balance and his pride, toppling backwards out of the carriage door. Ari was so absorbed by this new stranger, she did not even bother to help the old man to his feet.

The newcomer was a young man who stood about a head taller than Ari. He wore the weirdest armor Ari had ever seen, not that she had much experience in that field. It was made of palest silver steel, crafted to look as though a dragon were curled protectively around the man. A chill went up Ari's spine. She knew that dragon. In fact, there was one in her deck. The man in armor had brown hair which fell into his eyes. And it was the eyes, more than his lofty height, (**AN: come on people, we all know how abnormally tall Kaiba is 8)**) more than his creepy armor, that captivated her. They were blue, hard ice blue, with a strange chilling ferocity. Ari knew that ferocity too. She had seen it glint in the holographic eyes of her own Blue Eyes, just as it zapped her final opponent of the Championship into oblivion.

"Rosenkreuz!" Simon cried, standing up without bothering to dust himself off. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for your Rose Cards, you old fool, what else. And I told you, only the Rose Crusaders may call me by that name. You are to call me Seto. Do not make me remind you again." _I certainly won't forget_, Ari thought, feeling dazed.

"You're too late, Seto," Simon cried, regaining some of his fallen dignity. "The Cards have already been scattered about the land. You'll have to take them from Prince Henry's loyal subjects." Seto scowled at Simon, one hand shifting to the sword strapped to his waist.

"Then take them I shall," Seto said, with such determination that Ari fully believed him. _Wait! I'm supposed to be fighting against this guy! Oh man, I'm dead._

Those cold eyes shifted back to Ari and something in them changed. She shivered again, and was sure that those eyes saw it. Seto smiled slightly. Ari's own sense of dignity returned to her, and she did her best to match his gaze. The smile widened.

"Do you truly believe that this old coot has the power to send you home?" he asked her. Ari went rigid. "There is no guarantee that Simon and his kind can help you. Serve the Yorkists, Lady Rose Duelist, and I promise you will be rewarded with whatever your heart desires."

_Wow, that's a tempting offer_, Ari could not help but think. Within her mind, a war raged back and forth. _Hot guy with promises of hearts desires, bumbling old man, hot guy with promises of hearts desires, bumbling old man. _Then, another factor came into the mix. Honor. Her father had taught her about honor. He would be ashamed of her if he knew she had become a turncoat after saying she would help the Lancastrians. _Well, she_ _hadn't exactly promised..._ No, she had agreed to the bargain, there was no way she was going to deny that. Besides, she had already seen Simon's power work once; there was no reason to think it could not work again.

"I'm sorry," she answered. "I can't do that. I stand with the Lancastrians." Behind her, Simon's eyes glared with mocking triumph at Seto.

"Come, Lady Arianna," Simon said happily. "We must be on our way. Unless you intend to detain us, Seto." A hint of fear came into Simon's voice, and as Ari looked around she was taken aback to see that as they had been talking men on horseback had surrounded them. One of the horsemen carried a banner with a white rose on a blue field.

"No," replied Seto. "You may go. I intend to fight this battle on a fair field." He stepped closer, so that he was looking down at Ari. She tried to stare defiantly back, but judging by his mocking smile, she was failing.

"I look forward to seeing if you can hold your own in a duel, Lady Arianna." With that, Seto walked away toward his men. Simon beckoned Ari from the carriage door, having gotten in without mishap this time. She stood rooted to the spot.

"Milady, please. We must go!" Simon called to her.

"Listen to the old fool Lady Arianna. My hospitality has limits." Seto said from the back of a tall grey war horse. Ari obeyed, but paused before setting foot in the carriage.

"It's Ari," she said over her shoulder. Behind her she felt a mocking smile and a slight warming of ice blue eyes. And then she was in the carriage and the horses set off at a fast pace, much faster than Ari had expected.

Inside the carriage, a blond haired woman was sitting. _Has she been here the entire time?_ Ari wondered. _Through all that?_

"Lady Arianna, "said Simon in a formal tone."This is Lady Margaret. It was she who ordered me to summon you from your home." Ari felt like she should bow or something, but the jostling of the carriage prevented such movements. She settled for a nod. Lady Margaret returned the gesture with an imperious nod of her own. She then began to scrutinize Ari, making her squirm.

"Simon, we shall have to find some appropriate clothing for her." said Lady Margaret, talking about Ari as if she were not there. Ari looked down at herself. _Well, I suppose jeans and a tight t-shirt are not exactly appropriate for the middle ages. _Suddenly something occurred to her. She stifled a gasp, then turned it into a cough when Lady Margaret and Simon looked at her questioningly. _The names may be a little different, but this is still the War of the Roses. And I know who wins that War!_

**So what do you think? Was the opening to graphic? Allow me to explain. I want to put some battle scenes in later, and I needed a reason for Ari to be callused to those sorts of images. I need feed back, please review. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: Special thanks to my reviewers.**

**Disclaimer: I (once again) do not own Yu-Gi-Oh**

**For the sake of clarification, anything in _italics_ are the thoughts of whichever character's POV that part of the story is being told through.**

"You have got to be kidding me!" Ari was starring in horror at the monstrosity that was in front of her. "You want me to wear this!" The dress had its own stand, though it was so covered with baubles and embroidery that Ari was sure it could stand on its own. Ari was addressing her yells to the nervous old woman who had been assigned to wait on her. The woman looked as though she would have a heart attack if she thought it would be allowed.

"Please, milady. This is the dress Lady Margaret sent up for you. You should look proper if you are going to meet the Prince."

"There is no way I'm going to meet with anybody dressed up like a peacock!" Ari stopped, took a few deep breaths, and forced herself to remember that this was not this woman's fault. "I'm sorry," she said. "But could you please get me something simpler? **Much**, simpler."

"I-I'll see what I can find." the woman stammered, and hurried out of the room. Ari sighed and flopped down on the ornate bed. The rooms assigned to her were quite lavish, far to lavish for her tastes. She hadn't been expecting such special treatment, especially after the trip from England. They had traveled frugally, trying not to attract the attention of King Richard's men. Ari didn't really see the point, since the Rose Crusaders already knew who she was. The boat ride across the English Channel had been awful. Ari had no idea she was that susceptible to sea sickness. Now, here in France, things were a lot more comfortable.

"Is this acceptable, milady?" The old woman was back, a new dress in her arms. From what Ari could see, it was blue, with silver embroidery on the hem.

"Sure," she said. The woman looked confused, but like all the other servants Ari had met here, she remained silent.

A half-hour later found Ari with fraying nerves standing in front of a set of large double doors. _It's okay, it's okay,_ she repeated to herself. _Sure it's not every day you meet a prince, but I'll be fine, just relax, relax..._

The doors creaked open and Ari got her first look at Prince Henry, who was standing in the middle of the room talking to some guy with a funny hat. Ari's left eye twitched. _Since when do medieval princes wear tight leather?_ she wondered. (**AN: Those of you who have played the game know what I am talking about. For those of you who have not, just thing black leather with lots of buckles.**) The man in the funny hat was bowing a lot, almost one bow for every syllable of his speech, which was so heavily accented that Ari could not understand a word.

"Thank you," said Prince Henry, looking as though he didn't understand what the man was saying either. "I will look into it as soon a possible." The man garbled something with the words "thank you" in it, and walked past Ari out the door.

"Lady Arianna," the Prince's attention was now turned to Ari. "You don't know how glad I am to see you." He gave her a very elaborate bow. Ari waited for him to say something else, but he just looked at her. _Wait, am I supposed to curtsy or something? I don't know how to curtsy!_ Ari attempted what she thought was a curtsy, but wobbled, so much so that she nearly fell. The Prince led her over to a small table with two chairs. He insisted on helping her sit, much to Ari's confusion and chagrin. _What? Can't women sit in this era?_

Prince Henry sat down opposite her. There was an uncomfortable pause, during which Ari tried in vain to catch the Prince's eye. Finally, he began:

"Lady Arianna, I wish to..."

"My name is Ari," Ari could not help but to interject. "Just Ari" A faint, but relieved smile flickered on the Prince Henry's face.

"Ari, then," he continued. "I want to apologize for the rude way you were summoned from your home. I hope you were not interrupted during something important."

"Just a history test that I was glad to get away from" Ari said, growing more relaxed. "My mom will be worried about me though, so I should get back as soon as possible."

"Understandable. However, the situation here is dire. It will take time to remedy."

"Okay." The Prince blinked in confusion. Ari rephrased what she was about to say." Alright. Um... perhaps you could refresh my memory as to what the dire situation is?" _Oh, why didn't I just pay attention in class?_

"The Yorkists and the Lancastrians have been battling over the throne of England for many years now. For the past decade or so** (AN: I don't really know the time sequence of the War of the Roses. I have it written down somewhere, I just don't want to dig it out.) **the Yorkists have been in power. Recently power past to "King" Richard, after the death of his nephew, who was king before him. I am in exile until those blasted Rose Crusaders can be defeated. Once Richard is out of the way, I can take my rightful place as King of England." As the Prince was speaking, he seemed to grow more and more impassioned. He practically shouted the last piece. Ari discreetly raised a finger.

"Question:" she said. "Why do you need me? Why don't you take on the Rose Crusaders?" Her quiet question took all of the thunder out of Prince Henry.

"Because," he stammered. "As king to be and...and figure head of the Lancastrian family...I can not put myself in danger of...danger. Besides, the prophesy says that with the Rose Duelist our victory is assured."

"Prophesies are nothing but bullshit," Ari said bluntly. "A fortune teller told my dad that he would live a long life. That turned out to be a lie." She knew she was being rude. She knew that in this era people got their heads chopped off for being rude to royalty. But she didn't care. She was mad. The noble prince turned out to be a coward.

"I'm not going to fight your battles for you," Ari said firmly. She stood up and walked out the door. She waited for Prince Henry to yell for the guards, but he just sat stunned in his chair.

Once she was out of sight around the corner, Ari broke into a run. She hardly knew where she was going until she found herself in the stables. A grizzled old man hurried up to her.

"Be thou needing a horse, milady?" he asked with a bow.

"Yes," replied Ari. "Quickly!" The man hurried off. Ari leaned against a post and tried to rein in the flood of adrenalin inside her so that she could think of a plan. There was only one thing she could think to do. She would go back to England and find the Rose Crusaders. Their captain had offered to help send her home, maybe he would still make good on that offer. With the power of the Rose Crusaders at her back, she could find the other Rose Cards and be on her way home. No promise would bind her to help a man too afraid to help himself.

"Here you are, milady." The elderly hostler was back, leading a blood-bay mare. Ari grabbed the reins below the horse's chin. She had ridden a horse once or twice while on vacation; surely she could do it again.

"If I may say so, milady, 'tis good to see you leaving so soon." The old man helped Ari into the saddle.

"Why is that?" Ari could not help but ask.

"The sooner you leave, the sooner you will defeat the Rose Crusaders and that false king, Richard. Then no more innocent lives will be lost." Ari froze.

"Innocent lives?" she asked, scared of what the answer would be.

"Oh yes." The old man seemed eager to answer all her questions. "Many lives have been lost since this war began.'Tis said that Richard hath slain his own nephews to take control of the throne. It is not for such a man to be seated on the throne of our beloved England. It will be good to have all those lives avenged."

Ari slowly unfroze. She sighed. **_Honor_**, whispered a voice in her head. **_Innocents_**, whispered another. _Just because I don't like the man that leads the Lancastrians, that doesn't mean I can turn my back on all of the people of England. I know that Richard is not a good man, and I know that any man willing to kill children has no right to rule. And I know that Henry Tudor is essential to the progression of history, even if he is a coward. Maybe it's his destiny to become king, and he doesn't need my help. But since I'm here I should help to make sure that things come out all right. _

"Put this horse back in her stall, but be ready to saddle her again as soon as possible. I'll be leaving today."

In a space of less than half an hour Ari was back in front of the large double doors. Rather than wait for someone to open the door for her, she gave them a hard shove and strode in with all the confidence she could muster.

Prince Henry had not yet left his chair, but now he was speaking to a man in the uniform of the Guardsmen. He made a sound of surprise when Ari walked in and the man in the uniform reached for his sword. Ari stopped well out of reach of the long blade.

"I will help you," she said. "But only if you promise that you will send me home when I am done."

"You have my word, as the rightful King of England, that I will do everything in my power to send you back to where you came from." Prince Henry looked extremely happy and relieved, though he tried to put as much formality into his tone as he could.

"And there's one more thing," Ari said. Following some unknown impulse, she walked forward, brushing past the guard, and knelt on one knee before the Prince. "Promise me that, when you are King, you will put an end to the blood shed, an end to the suffering. Promise me that you will rule justly and with...honor." The Prince seemed taken aback by her intensity, but the relieved look vanished and was replaced with one of purpose. He stood, and pulled Ari to her feet.

"I promise," he said. It was simple, but full of conviction. Unable to take the formality anymore, Ari said:

"Then I will go get ready. I want to leave as soon as possible. Prince Henry." She curtseyed, a little steadier this time, and made her way toward the door.

"Please," said Prince Henry from behind her. "Call me Yugi." Ari smiled over her shoulder and nodded. Then she left.

That night saw Ari and three men-at-arms once again crossing the English Channel. The blood-bay mare, whom Ari had named Rose, was strangely quiet and peaceful, as the ocean waves carried them onward toward the fog shrouded cliffs in the distance.

**Well people, please review. Before you ask, there will be no romance between Yugi and Ari. In case you haven't figured it out from the first chapter, it's going to be SetoXAri all the way.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow, it's been forever since I've written anything. I've been really busy. Stupid schoolwork. But I'm ok now, this is my easy semester. I've also had a bit of writers block. And then there's my mom pestering me to get a job and it just never ends. Oh, well, here goes.**

Ari was not having a good day.

"I hate boats, I hate port cities, and I don't care if I never see another fish as long as I live." Ari and her men-at-arms had finally arrived back in England. However, Ari hadn't quite recovered from her sea sickness, and had yet to feel steady walking on the ground instead of on a lurching ship. The sight of the day's first catch of fish being cut up on the docks had not helped her stomach or her mood.

"Okay, so where to first?" Ari asked briskly, turning to the three men behind her. After a few days of traveling with her, Jonathan, Thomas and Remi were used to their new mistress's way of speaking, including understanding that 'okay' meant 'alright', among other things. At the moment Jonathan and Remi were busy scanning the crowd, while Thomas poured over a map.

"It's hard to say, milady," Thomas answered. "Spies report that Lord Underwood was last seen around this city, but as to his exact whereabouts, I can't say"

"Great," Ari sighed. She paused to look around her. "Maybe if I held up a sign saying 'Rose Duelist found here', the Rose Crusaders would come to me."

"That is hardly necessary," said an odd voice from near Ari's elbow. Ari jumped and looked down. The person who had spoken was a short man with light blue hair. About to ask who he was, Ari was given a clue when Jonathan grabbed her and pushed her behind Remi, at the same time pulling his sword from its sheath. The crowd of people around them immediately scattered until they were at the center of a large bare circle. Peering from behind her bodyguards back, Ari saw that the newcomer wore a gold ring in the shape of a beetle. _Okay, so this is Lord Underwood. The bug guy._

"Step aside boys, this is my fight." Ari said. When nobody moved, she made an aggravated noise in the back of her throat and moved around the men-at-arms to stand in front of Underwood.

"Lady Arianna," the short man chuckled. "It's funny; I was expecting someone of more... regal bearing." Ari sighed. The wardrobe which she was carrying on this trip had been the point of a rather long argument between her and Lady Margaret. "**_You are representing the Tudor family",_** Lady M had protested. "**_I won't have you looking like a peasant!" _**To which Ari's response had been.**_ "I already agreed to wear a dress, but I refuse to take part in a duel wearing one of those circus tents you call a gown!" _**Ari stubbornness had paid off, and she was now standing before Lord Underwood in a plain pale blue dress and brown leather bodice, her black hair hanging in a simple braid down her back. The fact that she was forced to wear a dress was yet another contributor to her bad mood.

"Deal with it," she responded. "I _am_ the Rose Duelist. So unless you're just going to hand me your White Rose Card, I suggest we move to where there are fewer people."

"Come with me then."

A half hour ride brought the group to a windswept hill overlooking the channel. Swinging out of the saddle, Ari came face to face with a very large insect. A **_VERY_** large insect.

"Say hello to my Insect Queen," Underwood cried. Ari stepped back, pulling her deck from her belt purse.

"Well, at least he isn't big on ceremony," she muttered to herself, pulling out five cards. _Score! _she thought, unable to keep a grin off her face. _Blue-Eyes White Dragon on the first draw!_ Ari could not help but stare as the dragon materialized in front of her. These didn't look like holograms, they looked real. Really real!

"What!" screamed Underwood, eyes wide. "Only Rosenkreuz has that creature!" **(AN: I really don't like reading or writing duels, so any duels will be short) **Ari smiled, as Blue-Eyes destroyed, not only Insect Queen, but every monster Underwood summoned after it. Finally, a defeated Underwood sank to his knees.

Ari walked over to where Underwood knelt and poked him with her foot. "Hey, Rose Card, Now. Underwood looked up at her sharply, a fiendish grin on his lips.

"I think not," he said quietly, and made an odd gesture with one hand.

Something silver whizzed past Ari's ear. She dove to one side, hitting the ground hard. Laying on her side, she saw a knife sticking out of the grass a few feet away. Underwood and her bodyguard Thomas were both making a break for their horses. Thomas was the one who had thrown the knife.

Neither one got very far. Jonathan and Remi pinned Thomas to the ground. With another crazy dive, Ari grabbed the trailing reins of Underwood's horse. Seething with anger and not thinking very clearly, Ari reached up and tried to drag him from the saddle. The attempt only earned her a knife slash across the palm of her hand. Ari dropped back in surprise. Remi then took over. Soon both men were sitting tied up on the ground, and Ari was twirling a White Rose Card in her uninjured hand.

"What shall we do with them, milady?" Remi asked, sitting next her as Jonathan bandaged her hand. "The best thing to do is kill them." Ari shook her head. _No way, I won't let them do that._ _But what else do you do in a situation like this? If I let them go, what's to keep them from coming after me? Oh well, I guess I have to risk it._

"Leave them here, they'll work their way out of those ropes eventually. We can take the extra horses with us."

"A word of advice, Lady Arianna," Thomas called from where he sat. "Charity will not get you very far."

Ari walked over to him, looking down at him with a look of great distaste. "Are suggesting I change my mind?" she asked.

"No, No!" said Underwood quickly, glaring at the man he had hired to kill the Rose Duelist. "Be silent, idiot."

"Just know," continued Thomas, not listening, "That King Richard won't spare you because you're a girl."

"I don't expect him to," Ari replied softly. "Why should I, he killed his own family?" And with that she walked away. As she mounted up, she saw a group of riders watching them from another hill. There was no mistaking the oddly shaped silver armor of the man in front.

"It's Rosenkreuz," warned Jonathan. "Does he mean to confront us?"

"I don't think so," said Ari. Then, unable to help herself, she grinned and held up her newly won White Rose Card. Then she turned away. "Let's go."

On the far hill, one of the riders turned to Seto. "What are your orders, sir? Shall we pursue them?"

"Not yet," said Seto, calmly watching Ari and her men ride away. "You may confront them later, Rex."

"And what about Underwood?"

"Leave him; there is no place for a man such as him among knights. Let that be a lesson to all of you," Seto continued in a louder voice. "I expect better from anyone who calls themselves a Rose Crusader."

As the rest of his men moved off, Seto paused to glance one last time at Ari's retreating back. _They tried to kill her_, he marveled. _Yet she spared their miserable lives._ He shook his head and smiled slightly._ The girl would not last long in this war._


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow, it has been so long since I have written anything. This chapter is a little weird, but I suppose that comes as no surprise, if you have read the previous chapters, which I assume you have. Love it or hate it, here's chapter four.**

**Hmmm, maybe I should start titling my chapters**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-gi-oh**

**Chapter 4: Ari is not a morning person**

No matter how many times the chambermaid at the Silver Dragon Inn tried to get out of it, she always seemed to be the one stuck with the task of waking up guests who overslept. In the five years she had been working at the inn, she had seen a number of odd awakenings. One man had sat up as if kicked and screamed bloody murder. On another morning, an old woman on a pilgrimage had thrashed around so much she had given the chambermaid a black eye. However, this morning certainly took the prize for strangest.

The chambermaid could not quite figure out the current occupant of bed in the Silver Dragon's best room. The girl was sprawled in the most unladylike manner, her black hair left loose to be tangled. A blue dress hung over the foot of the bed. The dress was simple, but of good quality. But could someone who could only afford that also afford the two obvious bodyguards who had accompanied her?

Normally, the chambermaid tried to refuse such requests, especially after that black eye. But the two rather handsome men at arms downstairs had asked nicely, and were rather insistent on their need to have their mistress up and about. So, when slamming the door and stomping her feet didn't work, the maid approached the bed of the sleeping girl.

The chambermaid leaned over the girl and said quietly, "milady...milady, your servants were wondering if you are ready to travel." The girl obviously wasn't ready, but one couldn't be too careful with strange guests. "Milady..." and she shook the girl's shoulder. The girl immediately curled up in a ball, pulling the blanket up to her eyes.

"Don't wanna go ta school," she muttered. The chambermaid shook her head. What strange nonsense the half asleep would say.

"Milady, the sun is up," the maid said in a louder tone.

"Five more minutes," came another mutter.

"Milady, your bodyguards are asking for you." This time, the girls grey eyes snapped open and she sat up with a start. The maid jumped back, ready to deflect any flying limbs. The girl blinked a few times, then turned to look at the maid. With a groan, she crawled off the bed and stood up, stretching.

"I finally get to sleep in a real bed, and they decide to wake me up at some ungodly hour," she muttered, squinting her eyes to block out the sunlight streaming through the window.

"Milady, it's almost noon." The maid could not help correcting. The strange guest turned to look at her with a bleak expression.

"Well, at least you're not telling me to 'carpe deum'. **(AN: This, I believe, is Latin. It's something my mom tells me when I oversleep. She interprets it to mean 'seize the day'.)** Even if the maid could speak Latin, what the girl had said would have been lost on her. She was currently in a state of shock upon seeing what the girl was wearing. Instead of a decent nightgown, the girl was dressed in the strangest attire the maid had ever seen. The girl wore a shirt which was practically skin tight, with sleeves that stopped just below the shoulders. On the shirt was some kind of very detailed crest, depicting a white dragon. **(AN: If I could find a Blue Eyes shirt, I would so buy it on the spot)** More scandalous was that the girl was not wearing a skirt! She was swearing some kind of leggings, tight to the knee, and then flaring to the foot, which was made of what looked like canvas dyed an expensive shade of blue. **(AN: Can you guess? Can you guess? You guessed it! Blue Jeans)**

Ari raised an eyebrow at the shocked look the woman was giving her, then rolled her eyes. Between her American accent, her modern terminology, and her occasional refusal to wear a dress, she had received that look a lot. _Nothing like time travel to make you feel like a freak_ she thought.

"You know," she said out loud, "Believe it or not, these are normal daytime cloths where I come from. This was just more comfortable to sleep in, as apposed to some of the other cloths I had to bring." She said, with a glare shot in the direction of the set of saddle bags which had been dropped in a corner.

"If that's the case, I think I'll be moving to whatever country you're from, Rose Duelist," said an unfamiliar voice at the door. Both women spun to face the newcomer. **(AN: I am basing Rex's personality on one of the first times we see him in the show, when he first meets Mai. In other words...perverted. You've been warned" **Leaning against the doorpost was a short man with shaggy brown hair and an irritating smirk. The man looked Ari up and down, his smirk turning to a scowl when he saw the emblem on her chest.

"That's a lowly trick, Rose Duelist, hiding behind Seto's crest." Ari gave him a clueless look. "You can be sure he will hear about it from me." The smirk came back. "Maybe I'll take it to him as proof." The maid, still present, gasped at the impropriety and started to edge out of the room.

"And maybe I'll make sure you stay here as a brain dead pile of mush," Ari replied. Not her best come-back, but hey, it was still early by her clock. "But first let her out," she added, indicating the maid with a nod of her head. Rex moved so that he was blocking the maid's path completely.

"And why would I do that?" He asked. The maid was looking more and more scared.

"You're a knight, aren't you? Don't you have some chivalry crap to abide by?"

"Sadly, yes," said Rex, and moved aside. The maid ran from the room. Rex looked back at Ari, then reached into his belt poach, pulling out his deck. "Are you going to be a good girl and give me the card you took from my friend, or do things have to get rough?" Ari's answer was to dig her own deck out of her jeans pocket.

The small inn room was soon filled with the roars of dragons and dinosaurs. **(AN: Though I suppose, to the Elizabethans, dinosaurs would be dragons)** A blast from an enormous black dragon sent Ari careening across the room, slamming her into the opposite wall. Staggering to her feet half stunned, Ari returned the favor with a furious White Lightening attack. Rex was soon slumped on the floor, eyes open but out of focus. **(AN: I told you all duels would be short.)**

When her bodyguards came running up the stairs, summoned by the noise, they found their mistress in the worst mood they had ever seen her, practically tearing apart her saddle bags.

"Lady Arianna?" Remi asked tentatively. When he received no answer, he simply watched as Ari yanked a length of rope out of her bags and proceeded to bind and gag the unconscious Rex. After she had relieved his belt purse of his White Rose Card (and a few coins) she kicked him into the small privy which was attached to her room, shut the door, and barricaded it with a chair. She then went back over to her saddle bags, which she picked up and threw to Remi, who caught them deftly.

"Come on," she said. "We're leaving," and she marched past them out the door. They were on horseback and several miles down the road before Remi found the nerve to inform his mistress that her strange cloths and surly expression where scaring the peasants. The only reaction he got was that Ari's expression relaxed and she stopped pushing her horse at such a quick pace. In fact she continued to allow the horse to slow down, until they came to an absolute stop.

"Milady," Remi asked. "Why are we stopping?" He was then shocked to see that Ari's eyes were closed, her breathing soft and steady. "Milady?" he asked again, tapping her on the shoulder. Then, to his horror, Ari fell sideways out of the saddle, landing with a thump and a yelp in the dirt of the road. The men at arms watched, mouths agape, as their mistress cursed the air blue, then remounted, muttered something about horses not having seatbelts, and continued riding.


	5. Chapter 5

**It is official: I suck at updating. But in my defense, I have been busy. Work and school and preparing for college...it's a lot for a girl to handle. But my muse has decided to come back from vacation and I am here to bring you the fifth chapter of Redwing Blackbird. For those of you who were losing faith in me, hang in there, the ending to this story is going to be great.**

**Disclaimer: As much as I love Yu-Gi-Oh, I would personally commit myself to an insane asylum if I was the one who came up with Duelists of the Rose.**

**Warning: A little gory in parts**

**Chapter 5: (Oh what to call it what to call it...hmmm...Got it!) Finally the Romance Starts! (kinda)**

"How!" screamed the blue hair boy who was currently banging his fists on the ground. "How could you defeat me! The gypsy fortune teller said that the stars foretold my victory!"

"Quit the fortune talk, Roba, and give me your rose card," a triumphant Ari said, watching the boy closely as he picked himself up. Espa Roba dug out his White Rose Card. As Ari walked over to claim it, he said:

"It doesn't matter that I have lost today, you will never make it past Seto." Ari made no reply. She simply snatched the card out of his hand and walked away.

High noon that same day found Ari riding behind her two man-servants along a forest road. For once our hero was not complaining, but sitting quietly in the saddle, thinking.

_This makes six rose cards_, she thought to herself. **(AN: Yes, I realize that I've skipped...counts ... three duels. I really just needed to move the stories along. If you really want to know what happened, review and tell me so and I'll add those chapters in after I've finished the story. Thank you for your time) **_That leaves just Seto and King Richard. _Ari shook her head._ I guess that really doesn't count as a "just"._

Suddenly the two men in front of her pulled their horses to an abrupt halt. Attempting to peer around them, Ari caught sight of something that made her breath catch in her throat.

Spread out before them was a scene out of Ari's nightmares. Roughly a dozen men were strewn across the forest clearing, none of them moving. Ari dismounted and moved toward them, but Remi grabbed her shoulder from his seat on his horse.

"Don't approach, milady. It is not for a maiden to see." Ari pulled away and continued forward. Crouching down beside a partially decapitated man she shook her head. "I've seen worse," she said.

By now Jonathan and Remi had also dismounted. Together with Ari they walked among the fallen.

"It was probably an ambush," Jonathan commented, turning over one body with his foot.

"Bandits by the looks of it," Remi added, picking up a rusty sword from the ground. "It looks like they had archers in the trees, which targeting those five there." Trying to follow Remi's logic, Ari looked up. First her eyes went to a tall pine several yards away. There, a man with a green cloak was fixed to the tree trunk by a lance, his bow still in hand. Then, Ari's eyes followed to where Remi was now pointing. A cluster of five men in armor had fallen together at the center of the clearing. Drawing closer, Ari gasped.

One of the men had a standard still grasped in one hand. The insignia on that standard was a white rose. These men were Rose Crusaders!

Shaking slightly, Ari walked from body to body, checking pulses, wiping the blood from faces. She was not sure why she bothered, they were all obviously dead, but the idea of anyone lying here, whether alive or dead, gave her the chills.

She stopped at one last solider who was lying face down, with several arrows sticking out gaps in his armor. Ari knelt down, pressing two fingers to his neck. There was really no hope for this one, but as with the others, she tried anyway. Nothing, no pulse. Ari started to pull away, but something twitched under her fingers. She held very still. There it was again! A pulse, incredibly slow, but still there.

"Remi! Jonathan!" Ari yelled. "Come help me!" With their help she worked the arrows out of the man's back. That done, they turned him over.

"Oh... my... god," Ari said, very slowly. Lying there, drenched in his own blood, was Seto.

Seto woke to find him self in so much pain that there was no way he could be dead. Trying to ignore it, he glanced around, trying to figure out where he was. Judging by the dim light, it was early evening. He was lying on a bed of grass, covered by a coarse blanket. A little ways away, a small fire crackled. Seated around it were three shadowy figures, conversing in low tones.

"Milady, I mean no disrespect, but this is pointless. I know yours is a gentle heart, but we really should have just taken his card and left him in the clearing." said one or the figures, a man.

"No way! He would have died!" Seto went rigid, which really only served to take the pain from his wounds to new heights. Fighting to concentrate, he tried to remember where he had heard that female voice before. "..._we really should have just taken his card..."_ the man had said. They were after his Rose Card...Seto tried and failed to stifle a sound of astonishment as his pain clogged brain produced that same girl's voice saying _"It's Ari"._

Though he had tried to be quiet, the sound he had made had caught the attention of the people around the fire, one of which he now knew was the Rose Duelist. The two men stood and went for their swords, but the Rose Duelist made calming motions with her hands, telling the men to sit back down. Grudgingly they obeyed. Then the Rose Duelist came over and knelt beside him.

"Um...Hi," she said after a few moments hesitation. Seto blinked at her. _Was that supposed to be some sort of greeting?_ "I suppose it would be sort of stupid to ask how you feel but uuuuhhhhhh, oh screw it! Are you going to die?"

"What the hell kind of question if that?" Seto yelled at her. She sat back with a satisfied smile.

"Good, at least you're talking." She placed the back of one hand against his forehead, watching him closely. He flinched at the contact, but there was really nothing he could do.

"You don't have a fever, that's good. It means none of arrow bites got infected." She pushed his hair out of his eyes, grinning at him good naturedly. Suddenly catching herself, she pulled her hand away. He smirked back at her.

"Duelist, doctor, what else can you do?" Ari's answer was to tell him that he should go back to sleep, before standing up and walking back to her bodyguards.

Morning found the captain of the Rose Crusaders much more lucid, and much more confused. Sitting up while Ari changed his bandages, he asked the question which was bothering him the most.

"Why are you helping me?" Ari glanced up, then went back to her work.

"Because you need it," she answered. Seto chuckled slightly, then winced as the wounds in his back sent out a spasm of pain.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised, seeing how you dealt with Weevil. But still, this won't help you in the long run." Seto watched her, feeling a little sad. He knew that eventually this kindness would come back to haunt her. Sooner or later someone she had spared would try to kill her, and he had a nasty feeling that it would have to be him.

"I thought you were supposed to help others?" Ari replied, sitting back and studying his face. "Isn't that what being a knight is about?"

"You're not a knight and, in case you forgot, we're at war. In all actuality, I should kill you." Ari laughed and punched him lightly in the shoulder.

"You're in no position to be making threats." Seto had been serious, but he couldn't help but smile as he watched her laugh. She was really quite pretty and...Seto cut off that train of thought very quickly.

Ari stood and walked off to restart the fire. Remi had gone off hunting, and Jonathan was seated a short distance away, keeping a close watch on his charge. Seto stood up slowly, testing his balance. Finding that he was stable, he turned to face Ari.

"So, are you ready?" he asked.

"Ready for what?" Ari asked, one eyebrow raised.

"The duel, of course. I assume you still want this," He held up his White Rose Card. Ari looked at him through lowered eyelashes, smiling slightly.

"Aren't you the one who wanted a fair fight? I don't think you're up to it," she said.

"I assure you I am."

"I won't duel you while you're injured." With that Ari turned away. Seto was about to protest, but Jonathan cut him off.

"Milady," he said. "If you will not fight him, I will!" Surprised, Ari looked over at him.

"You have a deck?" she asked incredulously.

"Prince Henry asked us to carry them, in case you..." he trailed off

"Failed," Ari finished for him. "I won't allow it!" Here Seto cut in.

"I'll make a deal with you, Rose Duelist," he challenged. "Instead of taking all your Rose Cards if this man loses, we'll make it fair. One of your Rose Cards against mine. How does that sound?" Ari hesitated, then nodded her assent. Taking a seat on the grass, she sat back to watch.

By the time Remi returned from his hunting venture, Jonathan was leaning against a tree with his eyes glazed over and Ari was haltingly returning one of the White Rose Cards to Seto. After stopping Remi from trying to run Seto through with his sword, Ari explained what had happened, then set about reviving Jonathan. But Jonathan was not the only one feeling dazed. _I..I can't beat him_, Ari thought, trying to stop her hands from shaking. _It's impossible!_

When everything was relatively calm Ari went off to sit by herself. _What do I do?_ She wondered. _I can't beat Seto in a duel, he too strong! I need a new plan._ Foot steps behind her broke her out of her reverie. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Seto leaning against a tree.

"Come to kill me?" she asked in a dry tone. He smirked at her.

"Not just yet." He came and sat down in front of her. "So, have you realized that you can't possibly win this fight?"

"Actually I was wondering if it matters," she snapped back.

"What?" he asked, surprised. Ari bit her lip. _I shouldn't have said that!_ She made as if to leave, but Seto stood up and pulled her back.

"So it's true, what they say. That as Rose Duelist you already know the outcome of this war!" Ari glanced around for an escape route, but Seto held her firmly. "Tell me," he ordered her. She refused to look at him. His grip on her tightened. "Tell me!"

"It's not for you to know!" she yelled back at him. Then, more quietly she asked, "Would it change anything, if I told you who I thought would win?" Seto thought for a moment.

"No," he said, and let her go. Without a word she walked off to where her bodyguards were waiting.

"How far are we from London?" she asked Remi.

"About half a day's ride," he replied.

"Then there's no time to lose," Ari said decisively, and walked over to the cold ashes of their fire. Picking up a small charred stick, she used it to write on a peace of paper which she had pulled from her belt purse. This she folded and handed to Remi.

"You and Jonathan are to take this to Prince Henry. Don't lose it. And don't," she stopped him from unfolding the paper, "read it".

"But our orders were to protect you, milady," protested Remi.

"Your orders were to obey my orders which are to take those orders to Prince Henry." Ari said very fast. She turned to look at Seto, who had come to stand near by. "Did that make sense?" she asked. He just shrugged.

"But what about..." Remi started, only to be cut off.

"Don't argue with me, just do it."

It took only minutes for the two bodyguards turned messenger boys to pack up and be ready to go. Leaning down from their saddles, they wished Ari farewell.

"If anything happens to you, Prince Henry will have our heads," said Jonathan. Ari just smiled and waved as they rode off. Her smile turned sad though, as soon as they were out of sight amongst the trees.

"Bad news for you, then," she whispered. Turning around abruptly, she jumped to see Seto right behind her.

"What are you plotting?" he asked, eyes narrowed. She smiled at him winningly.

"I just thought of a way that you can pay me back for saving your sorry ass," she said cheerfully as she started to saddle her horse.

"And what's that, Rose Duelist?" Seto asked, still suspicious.

"You can come with me to London."

"Are you insane! You'll be captured as soon as you set foot in the city! King Richard will have you locked in the Tower! Or executed!"

"Probably both," Ari said, already perched in the saddle. "Now are you coming or not, Rosenkreuz?"

"Didn't you here me tell that old fool Simon, only the Rose Crusaders can call me that," Seto said, growing more and more frustrated.

"Then don't call me Rose Duelist!" Ari snapped. Seto sighed, then mounted up behind her. **(AN: They only had three horses, remember.)**

"Ari then," he whispered in her ear. "Now will you tell me what you're plotting?" Ari didn't answer at first. She tapped her heels against her horse's sides and they set off at a trot. Then she said in a low voice:

"Congratulations, Seto. You've captured the Rose Duelist." Seto's only answer was to wrap his arms around her and take the reigns from her hands. Ari allowed herself to lean against him as they picked up the pace.

**Wow, I think this is the longest chapter yet! I've been writing for like...4 hours. Does this make up for my being away so long? **

**Starts banging head on desk I can't write romance! How are they suppose to go from this to how I want to end the story! How! Things only get worse! I am such a failure. But did you notice that he actually seems to care whether she dies or not? Uhh, yeah, Seto makes a pretty quick recovery there. Maybe Ari just sucks at first aid and he wasn't as deadish as she though he was. Or maybe I just want to move the story along. Anyway, story should be done in another chapter or two. Hang in there!**


End file.
